What’s next for Cedar Rapids and other cities with disabled traffic cameras?

Most of Iowa’s traffic cameras are off, and so are their revenues.

This week, the Iowa Department of Transportation, following guidelines outlined in a new state law, denied most requests from cities and counties to operate fixed automated traffic enforcement cameras in their jurisdictions.

Of 348 permit applications from 28 Iowa cities and counties, only 11 fixed traffic cameras have been approved in just five cities, with only four in Cedar Rapids.

The nonpartisan state Legislative Services agency was unable to determine the extent of traffic camera use in Iowa before the new law – House File 2681 – passed more early this year, but the agency’s partial analysis determined the cameras produced at least $17 million in revenue for communities in the 2023 budget year.

All traffic cameras that were denied permits had to be turned off Tuesday. Added to this is all the revenue from citations generated by these now silent cameras.

In many Iowa communities, revenue from traffic camera tickets has been used to fund public safety positions.

Cedar Rapids Data

Cedar Rapids installed automated traffic cameras in 2010. The city monitored nine locations, including four on Interstate 380, to check speeds only around the downtown S-curve. According to Cedar Rapids’ most recent annual traffic camera report, crashes on the S-curve have decreased since the cameras were deployed there.

During the three years preceding the deployment of the cameras, an average of 5.3 accidents per month were recorded. Since 2019, the average has been 2.8 accidents per month, according to city data.

Recently dismissed speed cameras in Cedar Rapids issued a total of 64,445 speeding tickets in 2023, most of which – 45,342 – came from the northbound speed camera on I-380 at J Avenue, according to the end of report. year of the city for 2023.

Speeding tickets cost between $75 and $500, depending on how fast the vehicle is going, and $18 from each ticket paid goes to camera provider Sensys Gatso USA. The rest goes to the city. For red light citations, Sensys Gatso receives $22 per paid citation and the city receives $78 per paid citation.

But only about 60% of citations issued since 2019 have been paid by the end of 2023.

Sensys Gatso did not respond to a message from The Gazette asking about the financial impact for the company.

Revenue generated from the cameras is used to fund police positions in Cedar Rapids. The city’s budget for fiscal year 2025, which began in July, includes $7.21 million in revenue from traffic cameras, $5.48 million of which is used to fund 41 police positions. The other $1.73 million is for service provider costs and collection.

City leaders have not yet released information detailing how much of that revenue is generated by the now-dismissed cameras, or how they anticipate the city’s budget will be affected.

City officials said they do not track ticket revenue generated by each traffic camera.

The Iowa DOT also denied Marion’s five requests for fixed cameras. In 2023, the city installed fixed cameras at two locations: Highway 100 and East Post Road; and Highway 13 and Highway 151.

The Iowa DOT has approved a higher percentage of permit applications for mobile traffic enforcement cameras. Of the 209 requests to locate mobile cameras statewide, the state approved 143 and denied 66.

Both of Cedar Rapids’ mobile site requests were approved. Marion applied for permits for 54 mobile sites; 29 were approved and 25 refused.

Cities with populations of 20,000 or more can issue citations from mobile cameras, but cities with populations of 20,000 or fewer can only issue warnings from mobile cameras.

Iowa DOT: Most cameras are not the “least restrictive” solution

The new state law directs the Iowa DOT to determine whether a traffic camera is “appropriate and necessary and is the least restrictive means of addressing critical traffic safety issues in a location.”

The Iowa DOT’s most commonly used justification for denying permission for fixed automatic traffic cameras was that the camera was not the least restrictive means. Under the law, “least restrictive” is defined as “protecting the rights of individuals, interfering with the liberty of individuals to the least extent possible” and that “all other methods of controlling speed at a location have been exhausted or impractical.

“Least restrictive” was the justification in 62 of its 128 refusals to install fixed traffic cameras.

Another 39 cameras were refused because they were deemed “unnecessary,” and the final 27 refusals were issued for cameras that were not in service before this year. The new law requires that any camera not used before this year be refused until at least 2026.

Cities and counties can appeal or reapply

Municipalities that have received a refusal have the possibility of appealing the decision.

According to Iowa DOT officials, a city or county must submit a written explanation of the issues and any additional information to the department. Once the appeal is received, the Iowa DOT has 30 days to respond. The department chair’s decision on the appeal is final.

A spokesperson for the city of Cedar Rapids said the city is discussing its options.

Any refused permit request will be able to reapply in 2026.

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